Monday, September 19, 2005

Safavian Indicted

"David Safavian, who oversees $300 billion of annual federal purchasing as director of the Office of Procurement Policy, has been arrested for three criminal charges relating to obstruction of a federal investigation. He resigned quietly last Friday."

The article spotlights David Safavian, who worked as a lobbyist with Abramoff at Preston, Gates & Ellis, then formed Janus Merritt with Grover Norquist (Abramoff's college roomie), then left to work as chief of staff to Utah Republican Congressman Chris Cannon, then left to serve for a brief spell as chief of staff of the General Services Administration until he was appointed by President Bush last year as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Safavian's clients were largely in the gambling industry, and even though Rep. Cannon, a Mormon, has a strong anti-gambling reputation the record seems to suggest that the congressman profitted from the unusual alliance.

As Byrne writes:

"Safavian was an aggressive player online, too, spearheading a campaign called “Log on 4 choice” that allowed visitors to contact Congress and “urge them to preserve the freedom of the Internet, and your rights to gamble online.”"

"Thus, his decision to become chief of staff to a vocally anti-gambling Utah congressman appears something of a career anomaly. But taken in the larger pattern of events to come, the unexpected alliance was a coup for online gambling firms that put a lobbyist on the “inside” of the gambling debate."

"As Cannon’s chief of staff and top legislative aide Safavian set the stage for their ultimate victory: the death of two bills that would have likely cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars."

While serving as the General Services Administration chief of staff, Safavian took part in a controversial trip to Scotland in 2000 where he golfed with Abramoff, Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), and Ralph Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition, although Safavian's spokesman later told WaPo that he "paid back $3,100 for his expenses" (but did that cover the caddy fees?).

Contributors

"Or take this guy, Ron Brynaert, a tenacious (lefty, stand alone) investigator with an instinct for where information and proof and the jugular are. He's a natural: Why isn't he on someone's I-team?" Jay Rosen, June 6, 2005.